Likelihood 5 Prominent New Jersey Devils Players Could Be Traded
The New Jersey Devils have been steeped in trade rumors for the past few months, but nothing has come of it just yet. The only deal the Devils made since the beginning of the year was sending future considerations to the St. Louis Blues for goalie Jon Gillies. That was a move to throw something at the wall and hope it sticks. It worked for a few weeks, but the shine has worn off.
There are legitimate trade options the Devils have, although it seems like it’s quiet in Neward right now. Things aren’t leaning towards any deals at this point, but the Devils could make some major deals at the last minute because they have a lot of players with term who could be available for the right price. There are only two significant unrestricted free agents on the roster, and we’re sure the Devils hope to move them at the deadline. The issue is the money or the desire from other teams to acquire them.
What could happen with some of the New Jersey Devils’ most prominent NHL Trade Deadline targets?
Some of the Devils’ most important players have been named in trade deadline pieces or on a publication’s big board. The thought process was that outside of Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, anyone on the Devils could be had for the right price. There are players who might have another year on his contract after this, and there are others who are restricted free agents soon, giving teams plenty of traction when it comes to signing them long term.
The Devils are looking for hockey trades. They might be looking to shake up the lineup. Either way, the Devils will want to assess the situation, and we will do the same. Where does everything stand with just a few days until the NHL Trade Deadline?
Jesper Bratt
Likelihood he gets traded: basically 0%
There was a time when Jesper Bratt’s name was brought up in trade rumors thanks to Frank Seravalli with Daily Faceoff. The Devils are finally seeing the fruits of their labor with Jesper Bratt. He has 55 points in 54 games (prior to whatever happens in Vancouver on Tuesday). He’s on pace to be the first Devils player to average a point per game since Taylor Hall’s MVP season. He legitimately feels like he’s getting a point every night. He failed to score in the first five games of the season, and since then he has two total scoreless streaks more than one game (one two-game scoreless streak and one three-game scoreless streak).
He’s been incredibly consistent, and he’s about to get paid this offseason. Bratt is a restricted free agent, so it’s not like the Devils were going to lose him for nothing. However, they are going to need to open their wallets to pay for Bratt. How much is he going to make at the end of the year?
That question might spurn some to tell the Devils to sell high on Bratt, but that’s not happening. The Devils still have around $24 million in cap space next season. That could go up if they move on from some of the other players on this list.
Bratt looks like a centerpiece for this franchise. He looks like a pillar to what the Devils are trying to build. He is still just 23 years old, so he’s not even hitting his prime yet. There is still growth to be had, especially on the power play. 16 of Bratt’s 19 goals came at even strength. Imagine if Bratt was able to get more power-play goals? Either way, Bratt is a star and the Devils aren’t moving him.
Pavel Zacha
Likelihood he gets traded: 50-50 right now
Pavel Zacha is still the most prominent name in rumors right now. He’s been tied to teams as a trade target for months, most prominently with the Vancouver Canucks. He’s also been tied to the Montreal Canadiens and other teams since his name first came up late last year. It makes sense from every side. He hasn’t exactly worked out for the Devils, and he’s another player who has to get signed in the offseason.
However, another team will look at Zacha as unfinished talent. There’s a reason he was taken sixth overall in the stacked 2015 NHL Draft. He has size and a great shot. There are definite flaws, and his total bungling of the defensive side is something the next team will need to fix, but these things are fixable. There’s a chance the Devils will just keep him and push him towards the bottom six, but it might be best for everyone if he gets a chance at the top six elsewhere.
It seems like the Devils would like to turn Zacha into a different NHL player. Obviously, there are talks about Zacha being part of a Brock Boeser trade. Whether he’s the centerpiece isn’t known just yet. Heck, we don’t even know if it’s going to happen. The Canucks are back in the race for a playoff spot, and the dwindling Vegas Golden Knights are keeping them in that race. So it might sully a deal. Another team might be willing to swap assets, but this trade has everything to do with Zacha’s value. If it isn’t high enough, then the Devils are going to just keep him and try again in the offseason.
Damon Severson
Likelihood he gets traded: 25%
Tom Fitzgerald mentioned Damon Severson specifically when Pierre LeBrun spoke with him last week. He said it would take a lot for the Devils to move Severson, and it was more likely than not that he was staying. He has another year on his contract, he’s leading the Devils with more than 23 minutes a night, and he’s having the best offensive season of his career when looking at pure points. He has 33 points in 57 games. His career high is 39, and he’s on pace for around 45 this season.
Severson has been a player that has been in trade talks seemingly forever. Since Severson signed a six-year deal back in 2017. They locked him down for $4.16 million per season. Right-handed defensemen go for a lot more than that now. If he were to go to market right now, he could get between $7 million and $8 million per season.
A team is looking at his contract and putting a lot of value into it. It’s not like Severson is one of the best defensemen in the league, but there’s a chance that the Devils could get immense value from him. That extra year left on his contract likely makes him more valuable than John Klingberg of the Dallas Stars, who is also more available at the deadline.
It’s still very unlikely that the Devils are going to move Severson at this point. He’s still just 27 years old, so he has some years until he’s past his prime. Does he make mistakes? Yes of course. Is he worth dumping? Absolutely not. The Devils would need to get blown off their feet to move Severson.
P.K. Subban
Likelihood he gets traded: 70%
If this was up to the Devils, it would be 100%. The Devils have said they are open to moving P.K. Subban, and they would love to do it before Monday’s trade deadline. Unfortunately, Subban has a $9 million cap hit this season, and most contending teams can’t afford to fit that, or even the $4.5 million cap hit under their salary cap.
The Devils could find a third team to facilitate a deal, but that takes away the return for Subban, and it might be more trouble than it’s worth. There was a rumor the Devils might be willing to terminate Subban’s contract, but that doesn’t make a lot of sense. If the Devils are getting nothing out of the deal, the slight tick they’d get in terms of being “player first” wouldn’t be worth the precedent it sends.
The Devils need to do everything they can to move Subban at this point. There’s no value in cutting him to allow him to play for another contender for the minimum. Fitzgerald says he’s open to trading Subban but isn’t making calls to move him. That should change. The Devils should be making moves to try and make moves. Make the calls to see who might be willing to take on Subban, especially with Jakob Chychrun now on the shelf.
Subban has value on the ice. It’s not $9 million in value, and some might argue it’s not $4.5 million in value, but there is value here.
Mackenzie Blackwood
Likelihood he gets traded: 10%
This one really came out of nowhere, and it doesn’t seem like a smart idea for the Devils to trade their best option to be their starting goaltender of the future, but that rumor is out there and it didn’t come out of thin air. Mackenzie Blackwood is having just the season from hell. He drew bad headlines earlier in the season due to his hesitancy to get the vaccine. Then, he injured his heel in the preseason. It never heeled completely.
Now, Blackwood is on the shelf, but there’s a rumor he could be moved. The word is he could go to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are desperate for someone to take over the net. However, why would the Devils trade away Blackwood? They already have uncertainty with Jonathan Bernier, and while we’ve seen a lot from Nico Daws, we haven’t seen enough for him to be the starter full time. It’s nice that Daws gives the Devils a chance to win, but he still gives up too many bad goals and overall he’s an average NHL goalie. That’s good for 21 years old, but it’s probably best for everyone for him to spend another year in the AHL.
Blackwood’s trade is sitting at 10 percent because it just seems like almost an impossibility, but there is some smoke here. He’s not even back from injury, but people seem to want to tie him to rumors. Is it just people trying to put two and two together, or is there actually something here?
Next. Realistic Returns For P.K. Subban. dark
Blackwood isn’t going anywhere. The Devils won’t get the right value to trade him, and they don’t have the right players to fill his role if he does leave. We suppose it could come with a goalie in return, but anyone on the Maple Leafs would actually come with less value to the Devils and force the Maple Leafs to add more to the trade.